New, resistance-breaking drugs are urgently needed to effectively treat infections with antibiotic-resistant germs in the future. Researchers from Saarbrücken and Vienna have now found a possible starting point for the development of such drugs in the natural product Saarvienin A. This novel molecule is capable of killing bacteria even if they are already resistant to clinically used antibiotics. The researchers published their findings in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

When our immune system chooses the wrong enemy and turns against our own body, autoimmune diseases can result. Dr. Dr. Theresa Graalmann is a physician and clinician scientist who heads the junior research group “Translational Immunology” at TWINCORE – Center for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research. In this episode of the HZI podcast InFact, she explains how rheumatism, lupus, and vascular inflammation develop and how doctors and scientists work together to incorporate patient data and state-of-the-art cell analyses directly into the development of new therapeutic approaches.

Monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were considered a promising approach for the prevention and therapy of corona virus infections. However, the ongoing evolution of the virus regularly produces new variants that are no longer neutralized by the antibodies. Researchers from TWINCORE, together with partners from Hanover and Bern, have now been able to clarify the underlying mechanism in more detail. The TWINCORE is a joint institution of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School (MHH). Instead of using a single antibody, they propose the combination of several antibodies for treatment. They have published their findings in the scientific journal eBioMedicine.